Rail crossing



Jan. 30, 1951 J ASSELIN 2,539,529

RAIL CROSSING Filed July 19, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Jame? hf 65567122 anon: era

Jan- 30,

Filed July 19, 1945 J! H. ASSELIN RAIL CROSSING 5 Sheets-Sheet g a 42 33 I m WW7" 111M tawa: v;

J. H. ASSELIN RAIL CROSSING Jan. 30, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 19, 1945 1N VEN TOR. James 1! Usse/z'zz BY WMs M i atented Jan. 1 9 51 8,. Claims.

-My invention-has to do with improvements in rail c'rossing. -structures.

Asa train moves along a section oh-track it. sets up. in. the m a vemcar up-and-down waveor floating motion of the rails. =In prior crossing constructions this motion has resulted inlooseninghthe hold down nieansandfiin excessive wear on the bracing, ties andballast. Most prior constructions were based onr igidity of track, but rigidity co'ul'd not be -ma'intained, and; 'frequent repair and. maintenance was required; v

An object .oflmy invention. is. to-recognizeth'e railiwavemotionwhich is inherent in trainlrhox mentLand. to control such. motion. rather than eliminate it, particularly, alt-the crossings. 'Bh'is results in less breakage. andwarsof. the.joints an'cl'consequentlyv a reduction in maintenance and repain In. accordance. with my invention, wave. motion in the railsis.permittedtoalimited degree. By securing the rail assembly structure to asolid steeLbase plate insuchamanner as tospermit limited relativemovement between therailassembly structure and-the iba'seflplate, only a sm'al'l portion of such movement is transmitteldbelow the. plate, to be absorbedby theties and ballast An object of my inventionisto providea one; piece steel crossing base with, rails and; fillers secured togetherfand :to thebase without'the :use ofbolts. or similar securing devices.

Another object. of my, invention is, to -provide a vrail crossingwhaving;a;one-;piece steel base, with integral :hold down rail .flangeguide elements.

Anotherobjectof my inventionl is to provide in a rail crossing having a oneepiece steel base and. integral holdadown, rail flange, guide elements, rail assemblieslaterally braced and secured, by brace members without bolts or similar securing devices.

A further .objectof :my inventionis to provide a rail ,crossing, structure wherein rails and fillers are ..locked-in place on a base by rail bracesand hold down integral rail flange guides which tie the entire crossing structureinto one unit ,without boltsand at thesametime permit aglimited relative movement of the railswith .referencezto thebase.

A further object-of my invention is to. provide crdsslngangle, the..provision of elasticity and soundrdeadening" and; other features 01' advan tage which willfbe apparent to those skilled in the" construction and maintenance 03frailroad track;

A; preferred embodiment of y inventionis illustratedby way-of example; in theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan of a completely assembled rail crossing;

Fig. 2 is a planof a one piece base platef-or the crossingl Fig-3 is acrosssection of the 'railas's'emblies showing in elevation thetransverse brace members;

Fig. 4 is aplan-of one-of thetransverse brace members in position and toian enlarged scale;

and-

Fig. 5 is-anr'exp'lod'ed plan of thera'il assemblies at one corner ofthe base. plate.

My crossing comprises. 35011621311868 baseplate 10 WhiCh lSShO WIl-in Fig. 2.- The base-plate. Ill includes integral extensions H. on each. corner thereof. Permanentlyattachedlto the base plate I0, by welding orrth'e .like, are hold:.down guides 12. I3. Also.attachedlbyxwelding or the-.likeito the base plate 'lusare stop members. I 4. and [6 which cooperatewith oriorm a part of thebrace structure l 5- sh'own .in Figs. lvand 3. The. base plate vorlframe I I] is made... preferably, of asing'le piece of rolled steel or-in any manner whereby it functions. when inusefi asJa one=pieice=integral 'b'asestructure- Th'e.;hold-zdownguides; I2; l3:-.an'd the bracehstopmembers l4-,; -l6;are;.permanently secured tothe base plate .so .asto form. an integral =.part. thereof;

A cross section of. therrail assemblies is shown in Fig. 3-. Each assembly. comprisesa, running rail l1, a..-fa;lse flange riser rail l8,;jand a.guard rail I9. Filler members- 20;:are, prQvide d ;between the rails 11; andl8 .and flange-way fillenmem: bers .2 l are. .provided :-betweenthe-rails l l and ;-l 9; The flange-way filler member is, cut away onrey cessed. at 22 to provide, fiange.,. clearance. To vprovidethe desired zspacin tb n the rails. the inner base. flangerof rail l8 ;isc ut;away;at 23 st) that: the top of the, rail: abuts the top; of the runnin raih heinn r bas -fl ee-oi-the.snare rail I9 is cutaW QYL-at 25 m provide-the proper spacing betweeniit andthe runningjrail IZL;

Theraihassemblies including the three rai ls and-thetwo fillers are not secured to. eachother w en in pos n n the base la e-z m erer securing-means such as bolts may bepr hold them in assembled-1 relation unt' positioned'on the base plate; However; restrained from transverse separation wh position h eselate. rl ra e member placed on each side; .of each; asse brace... members 15 are. shown in and. ac comprises a. member- 55 eieefiem:

eed

the wedge 26 is driven into position between brace member 25 and the stop member M. A series of holes 36 are provided at the narrow end of the wedge member 26 in the projection 21 to receive the cotter pin '28 to hold the wedge in position. The grave member 25 is shaped so that it engages the top of the outer base flange of the guard rail at 3| and beneath the head of the guard rail at 32.

The rail assemblies comprise interchangeable inner assemblies 33, 34, 35 and 36 as shown in Fig. 1. These inner assemblies are first slid in place on the base plate ID in the assembling process. The hold down guides I2 and I3 have portions 31 (Fig. 3) spaced from the base plate so as toreceive with slight clearance the outer base flanges of the rails l8 and I9 when the assemblies are slid onto the base plate in a direction along their longitudinal axes. The inner assemblies are positioned so that their ends are spaced from the gauge lines, which coincide with the inner edge of the top of the running rails i1. This spacing is the width provided for the flangeway, as shown in Fig. 3.

Rail assemblies 38 and 39 are provided at each corner which include short sections l8a, l9a, 26a, Zla of the false flange riser rail, the guard rail and the two filler members, respectively, and a somewhat longer section Ila of the running rail. The guard rail section |9a may be cut away at 4| to assure proper clearance for the wheel flange. These assemblies are slid into position on the base plate in the same relationship to the hold down guides as the four inner assemblies. The

view in Fig. shows a rail assembly 39 in proper" position while the adjacent rail assemblies 34, 36 and 38 have been moved away from the point end structure of the respective rail assemblies.

When in position these corner assemblies are in abutting relation with each other and with the inner assemblies at their point of intersection. This relationship is such as to provide clearance through the intersection for the flange-way. After the corner assemblies 38 and 39 have been slid into position they are locked in place against longitudinal movement on the base plate. Stop members 46 are welded in place on the base and prevent movement of these assemblies in a direction of their longitudinal axes except for the running rail Ila. The running rail Ila, being somewhat longer abuts the running rail of the main line and thus is prevented from moving longitudinally. The positioning of the corner as- J semblies locks the inner assemblies in proper position and prevents them from moving in the direction of their longitudinal axes. All the rail assemblies are then secured against transverse movement by the proper positioning of the brace members I5 as shown in Fig. 1.

The brace members l5 are placed opposite each other and restrain movement of the assemblies in a transverse direction. The construction of these brace members is such that a limited vertical movement of the rail assemblies is permitted. In this manner the rail wave motion which is inherent in train movement is not eliminated but is controlled. The motion is permitted to a lim- 4. ited degree. This construction does not involve any bolts or welding or other securing means between the brace members and the rail assemblies.

In order to cushion the movement of both the base plate and the rail assemblies, resilient means are provided between the rail assemblies and the base plate and beneath the base plate. As shown in Fig. 3, a resilient coated fabric 42 is provided beneath the base flanges of the rail assembly members. A resilient cushion member 43 of rubber or the like is provided beneath the base plate I0.

While the illustrated embodiment of my invention is shown applied to a right angle crossing it will be apparent that my invention is applicable to a crossing at an oblique angle.

The specific abutting relationship of the rail assemblies at the points of intersection which is illustrated is preferred in order to obtainthe maximum of interchangeability of the assemblies and their component parts, but it is contemplated that the relationship may be modified for reasons of fabrication of parts or the like or because of special conditions at the point of crossing and the specific relationship is to be taken as illustrative only.

The stop members 40 may be welded to the base plate ID or otherwise provided thereon when the hold down guides l2, l3 and stop members [4, l6 are provided on the base plate, that is, prior to placing the respective rail assemblies on the base plate. When the respective assemblies are then placed on the base plate l0 the component parts of the assemblies may be slid into place, separately, with the running rail sections inserted last. This arrangement eliminates all welding at the time when the crossing is installed.

Modification of the structure and changes in the materials within the scope of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A railway crossing for providing a connection between intersecting main track sections comprising a one-piece base frame having portions extending beyond the sides thereof in line with the main track sections, integral hold down flange guides spaced along said base frame, short inner rail assemblies aligned with said main track sections and having outer flanges engaged beneath certain of said hold down fiange guides, other rail assemblies at each corner engaging the ends of said inner rail assemblies and connecting the inner rail assemblies with the main track sections, said other rail assemblies having outer flanges engaged beneath certain of said hold down flanges, stop members secured to said base extensions and engaging the outer ends of said other rail assemblies to prevent longitudinal movement of said rail assemblies and oppositely disposed brace members anchored to said base member, said brace members engaging the rail asemblies laterally to prevent transverse movement while permitting limited vertical movement with respect to said base member.

2. A railway crossing for providing a connection between intersecting main track sections comprising a one-piece base member having portions extending outwardly beyond the sides there- 'of in line with said main track sections, spaced integral hold down flange guide members on said base member, inner rail assemblies on said base member in alignment with said main track sections, outer rail assemblies on said basem'ember connecting the inner rail assemblies with the main track sections, said rail assemblies having outer base flanges received beneath said hold down flange guide members, means on the outwardly extending base member portions engaging the outenrail assemblies to prevent longitudinal movement of said rail assemblies on the base member, lateral brace means engaging said base member and the rail assemblies to prevent movement of the assemblies laterally of said base member and to permit limited vertical movement of said rail assemblies.

3. In a railway crossing structure, a one-piece base frame, integral hold down flange guides spaced along said base frame, a rail assembly disposed on said frame between said hold down flange guides comprising a running rail, a reinforcing rail along the outside of the running rail, a rail filler member between said running rail and said reinforcing rail, a guard rail spaced from said running rail along the inside of said running rail, a flange-way filler member between said running rail and said guard rail, a recess in the top of said flange-Way filler member which is aligned with the space between said rails to provide a flange-way for the wheel flange, said reinforcing rail and said guard rail having outer base flange members slidably received beneath the hold down flange guides, brace members engaging the outer sides of the reinforcing rail and the guard rail, respectively, and extending outwardly, brace stop members integral with said one-piece base frame, wedge members engaging the outwardly extending brace members and the brace stop members, and end stop members for said rail assembly on said base frame, whereby the rail assembly is locked to the said base frame without the use of bolts or similar securing means.

4. In a railway crossing structure, a one-piece base frame, integral hold down flange guides spaced along said base frame, a rail assembly disposed on said base frame between said hold down flange guides comprising a running rail, a reinforcing rail along the outside of the running rail, said reinforcing rail having a base flange cut away and the head in engagement with the head of the running rail, a rail filler member between said running rail and said reinforcing rail, a guard rail spaced from said running rail along the inside of said running rail, a flange-way filler member between said running rail and said guard rail, a recess in the top of said flange-way filler member which is aligned with the space between said rails to provide a flange-way for the wheel flange, said reinforcing rail and said guard rail having outer base flange members slidably received beneath the hold down flange guides, brace members engaging the outer sides of the reinforcing rail and the guard rail and extending outwardly, brace stop members integral with said one-piece base frame, wedge members engaging the outwardly extending brace members and the brace stop members, and end stop means for said rail assembly on said base frame, whereby the rail assembly is locked to the said base frame without the use of bolts or similar securing means.

5. In a rail crossing structure, a one-piece base member, laterally and longitudinally spaced integral hold dow flange guides thereon, rail assembly sections adapted to be loosely received in said hold down flange guides, said rail assembly sections comprising a running rail, a reinforcing rail having its lower flange cut away to accommodate a flange of the running rail whereby the head of said reinforcing rail is in abutting relation with the head of the running rail, an unsecured filler member between the webs of said rails, a guard rail spaced from said running rail to provide a flange-way between said running rail and said guard rail, an unsecured flangeway filler between said running rail and said guard rail, securing members on opposite sides of said rail assembly sections having brace members, base stop members and wedge members, said brace members engaging said reinforcing rail and said guard rail respectively and said wedge members wedged between the brace members and said base stop members and end stop members for said rail assembly on said base member whereby to secure said rail assembly against lateral and longitudinal movement on the base member and permit limited vertical movement with respect thereto.

6, In a railway crossing structure, a one-piece base frame, integral hold down flange guide means spaced along said base frame, inner rail assemblies disposed along said base frame having outer base flange members positioned beneath said hold down flange guide means, transverse brace means comprising stop members integral with the base frame and wedge members engaging the outer sides of the rail assemblies and means including stop members on said base frame for preventing longitudinal movement of said rail assemblies whereby vertical movement of the assemblies is restrained and limited without the use of bolts or the like.

7. In a railway crossing structure as claimed in claim 6 wherein the outer corner rail assemblies are in abutting relation with the said inner rail assemblies.

8. I a railway crossing structure for providing a connection between intersecting main track sections, a one-piece base frame, flanged rail assemblies arranged-in aligned connecting relation with the main track sections, guide means integral with said base frame for receiving said flanged rail assemblies and positioning the same on said base frame, and securing means limiting and restraining vertical movement of said rail assemblies relative to said base frame for connecting said rail assemblies to said base frame, said securing means comprising longitudinally and tranversely spaced members integral with said base frame, wedging elements engaging between said last mentioned members and said rail assemblies, and end stop means for said rail assemblies on said base frame whereby longitudinal and lateral movement of said assemblies relative to said base frame is prevented and said assemblies are secured on said base frame without the use of bolts.

J AMES H. ASSELIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS- Number Name Date 198,393 Johnston Dec. 18, 1877 359,116 Wharton, Jr. Mar. 8, 1887 792,365 Strom June 13, 1905 1,163,816 Forsyth Dec. 14, 1915 1,312,264 McCaulley Aug. 5, 1919 1,367,004 Balkwill Feb. 1, 1921 1,512,453 Dalton Oct. 21, 1924 1,523,573 Alexander Jan. 20, 1925 1,872,848 Told Aug. 23, 1932 2,419,701 Asselin Apr. 29. 1947 

